McLaren told prioritising one driver could ‘easily’ stop Max Verstappen title bid

McLaren has been told by Alex Albon that they could “easily” prevent Max Verstappen from winning the World Championship if they favour one driver over the other.

To their credit or discredit depending on your viewpoint, McLaren has been steadfast in its equal approach to their drivers’ title chances which has had the unintended consequence of leaving the door open for Verstappen.

McLaren could ‘easily’ stop Max Verstappen says Alex Albon

McLaren’s ‘Papaya Rules’ have garnered plenty of intrigue since they were first heard at the 2024 Italian Grand Prix but that equal approach is being put under the microscope with Verstappen closing in.

The Dutchman has cut the lead to 40 points, prompting many to implore McLaren to favour one driver over the other but the team has insisted it has no intention of doing so.

When asked about the title battle, Albon said McLaren could ‘easily’ cover off Verstappen but also praised them for giving both drivers a chance.

“What’s interesting to me is to see how McLaren have to play it,” he told media including PlanetF1.com in Mexico. “Because they’re still playing both drivers into the championship, but at the same time, you could easily cover him off if you prioritise one driver.

“But I think what they’re doing is fair, and they shouldn’t do that [prioritise one driver] so it is going to come down to the wire.

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“It seems like they’ve [Red Bull] got good momentum right now. Their upgrades seem to be working since Monza. You can never count Max out.”

As for Albon and Williams, he said he was surprised a slightly pessimistic view of how the car could perform in Mexico this weekend.

“Normally, Mexico, it seems to suit us a little bit more,” he said. “Stop and start style corners, which we like.

“Surprisingly, pace numbers, I was expecting us to be a bit better than what the team are saying this weekend, so I was maybe a bit more optimistic than they were, which is not normal.

“But it is a good track for us. I think what’s important here is actually your run into Turn 1. So a lot of work gets put into the starts this weekend because of the importance of track positioning for the start of the race. But we had a good start last year.”

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